A Jump Between
by Sadainea
Summary: When young Mary Accidentally lets go of her mother's hand mid-apparition, what happens to her? Where is she? And whose house is this?


This story is a response to a prompt that was put out in a group on Facebook. The prompt was:

While journeying home after tea with her grandmother, young Mary accidentally let go of her mother's hand during side-along apparition. Without her mother's guidance, Mary's arrival was rough and she tumbled down a hill, earning herself a few scrapes and bruises.

It wasn't long before Mary realized she wasn't where she was supposed to be. For starters, the house on the hill she'd just tumbled down was much too large, there was much more snow than there ought to be, the tree with her swing in it was definitely missing, her toys were not in the yard, and the funny little gnome that lived in her mother's flower garden was suspiciously absent. Wherever she was, she definitely was not at home.

Mary looked around, searching for a familiar sight, and saw orchards and gardens on the manicured grounds surrounding the large house, recognizing some of the bushes as being the same as her favorite one back home - the one whose orange fruit floated - and was comforted by the understanding that this meant wizards probably lived in the house.

Armed with this new knowledge, Mary crept up to the house, peered through the window...

...and was stunned by the view!

And this is my response

In front of her lay a strange tableau. The rugs were plush and a fire crackled in the fireplace. Art works that she had never seen before dotted the walls. She was as unfamiliar with this house as she was the surrounding area. Nothing about it seemed familiar except for her mother, who was seated in a huge wingback chair near the fire. A small girl who resembled Mary in many ways was playing on the rug with a small kitten. Mary didn't own a kitten though. She had been asking for one for many years, but Mommy always said she had to wait until she was older and more responsible. At six years old though, the young girl felt like she was plenty responsible and felt a little jealous that this other Mary got to have a kitten and she didn't. It wasn't fair. Besides, she had to have a kitty so that she could bond with it before she went to Hogwarts herself, right?

The strangest part about the whole scene, was that in the chair, facing slightly towards her mother, was a man she recognized from pictures as her father. Mommy always said that she had gotten her hair from him, but she also said that he hadn't really wanted anything to do with her after she had been made in Mommy's tummy. Mommy said that she had never told him about her being inside Mommy. She guessed that this Mommy had told him.

The three people in the house looked happy together. The man smiled warmly at the brunette sitting before him and leaned down to scoop up the other Mary into his arms. The girl snuggled into his warm side and yawned. The Mary outside the window shivered as the snow continued to fall around her. She wished she was inside with them, snuggled up with her Mommy, the same way the girl inside was snuggled up to her Daddy. She sniffed and couldn't stop the tears that started to flow down her face, making her cheeks hurt a bit in the cold and no matter how angrily she swiped at them, she couldn't get them to stop.

It was the choked hiccup that came from her throat that had the adults looking towards her. The other Mommy's frowned in confusion when she saw her and stood up walking out of the room that Mary was staring into. Within minutes she found herself wrapped in warm arms and being carried into the warm house. She was divested of her favorite purple jacket and pink gloves and walked into the room with the warm fire.

"I don't understand. Where could she have come from? She has to be our daughter or the wards wouldn't have let her through." The woman holding her smelled like Mommy, but she also smelled different. Her hugs felt just the same, though.

"I'm unsure. We need to talk to her. Perhaps she can answer some of our questions. For now, let her rest. She is terrified." The deep unfamiliar baritone voice of her father, whom she had never met before, was soothing, and Mary very quickly found herself drifting off to sleep, sure that she was safe in the arms of a Mommy who would take care of her, though she stared at her father, trying to memorize his face, sure that she would never get to see him again once she got home. If she got home.

"I'm worried, Severus. How could she have gotten here? Another time stream, perhaps? Another dimension?" Hermione had just settled the newcomer into one of their guest bedrooms and was sitting back in her chair, facing her husband.

"It is a possibility. I have read somewhere that accidents involving magical travel have lead to people jumping timelines. What bothers me more was the way she was staring at me before you put her to bed. It was like she had never seen me before." Severus was staring into the fire, all of his focus on the little girl that now slumbered in his home.

"Sev, you know that if we hadn't run into each other at the conference that day in New York that I had no intentions of telling you about Mary. Perhaps in her timeline, if that is what has happened, that Hermione never went to the conference or she managed to avoid you, like I tried to do. I'm sorry, my love." Hermione slid out of her seat and shuffled on her knees towards the potions master. Taking his hands in hers, she kissed his palms. "I do not regret anything, darling. I love you. I loved you then, I love you now. Talk to me."

"She was injured when you brought her in. Is she alright?" he asked his wife, the healer.

"She is fine. Bruise paste and a few spells took care of all of her injuries." Hermione stood and slid into Severus's lap, straddling his knees, and cradled his face between her hands. "Look at me," she whispered.

Dark eyes met honey brown ones and he sighed, knowing his wife was right. He wrapped both arms around her waist and just held her, laying his head against her chest. He felt her fingers sift through his hair and hummed when her nails scratched lightly. Looking back up at her he whispered, so softly that Hermione almost didn't catch what he was saying over the gently crackling fire, "I am forever thankful that we ran into each other that day. You have made my life so much happier. You and Mary, my family. You gave me something I never thought I would ever have. I can't ever lose you Hermione."

"Lucky for you, you never have to. Now, we need to figure out, if she is from a different timeline, how do we get her home? I'm sure the other Hermione is out of her mind with worry. I know I would be if our Mary ever disappeared." The Gryffindor woman slid off the Slytherin man's lap and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Severus asked her, watching her leave.

"I'm going to do what I do best, research. Which means, I am going to the library. Care to join me?"

He didn't even have to think about the answer to that question. He followed her out.

When Mary woke again, she was in an unfamiliar bed. It took a few moments for her to remember what had transpired the day before. She had always been a slow riser in the morning. That was another thing that Mommy said she got from Daddy. Crawling out from under the covers the little girl made her way over to the door and pulled really hard to open it, it was _heavy_ , and came face to face with her own mirror image. The other Mary, the one who had both a mommy and a daddy, was standing right in front of her, head cocked to one side.

"Hi!" she said, sticking out her hand. "I'm Mary, what's your name? Why do you look just like me? Where did you come from? Why were you standing outside our window?"

The barrage of questions flew past the newcomers ears. "Uhm, well, my name is Mary, too. I don't know why I look like you. I came from tea with my grandma. I was standing outside your window because I got lost."

"Wow, you are called Mary too? Cool! But It will get weird when Mommy and Daddy are trying to talk to one of us, huh?" The other Mary asked.

"Yeah, I guess so. I know! My friends at school sometimes call me MG, cause my other name is Granger and it is almost like the girl from Spider-man! How about that?"

"Cool. I like Spider-man. Mommy bought me these cool Spider-man jammies, like 3 sets, and dolls. Wanna see?"

"Yeah!" and the two were off to go play, instant friends.

That's where the adults found them. MG and Mary, seated at Mary's coloring table, playing tea party with Spider-man and Barbie, both dressed in Mary's jammies sharing the waffles that Hermione had made for breakfast that morning. Both adults were rumpled from sleeping in the library after a long night of research. It was well into the small hours of the morning before Severus finally found what they were looking for.

They had discovered, that an apparition with the displaced person in tow, should, in theory, reverse the botched apparition. Then the person carrying her would simply apparate a second time and return to his own timeline. They hoped, but it was the best theory they had, and they had to run with it. Magical anomalies like this were strictly monitored by the Unspeakable department, which meant they didn't have much time to get her home. If the Ministry got ahold of her, there was no telling what would happen to her. Neither Hermione nor Severus were anxious to find out either.

"Mary, sweetheart." Hermione said.

"Which one, Mommy? Me or MG? Her name is Mary too so we get to call her MG like her friends at school do cause it sounds like MJ from the Spider-man stories you tell me and my cartoon shows." Mary said.

"Well, MG then, we think we have figured out how to get you home. But first I need you to tell me how you got here." Hermione crouched down next to the little girl who placed the plastic tea cup that she had been holding down and folded her hands in her lap.

"Mommy and I were apparating home from Grandma's house, after tea, and I accidentally let go of Mommy's hand. I didn't mean to. It really was an accident, really. I promise." Mary almost started to cry before Hermione reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and shushing the girl. "Who is gonna take me home?"

"I will." Severus stepped forwards.

"Are you sure that is a good idea, Sev? If what we talked about last night is true-"

"Then perhaps I can convince your counterpart to introduce my counterpart to my daughter." Severus said. "Everything will be fine, my love. I swear to you." He stepped towards brunette woman and cupped her cheeks. "I will be back."

Severus knelt in front of MG and held his arms out to her. "Let's get you home little one, so that I can talk to your Mommy about letting you meet your Daddy."

MG flew into Severus's arms like she had no fear of him at all. Before they could leave however, she turned around and hugged Mary. "Thank you for being my friend." MG whispered.

"You're welcome." Mary whispered back. No else in the room realised that hermione had pulled out her camera and had snapped a picture of the three sitting on the floor all huddled together.

After the tearful goodbyes, Severus stood up, with MG in his arms and walked towards the entry hall. He took one last look at his wife and then, with a loud crack was gone, leaving Hermione alone, with their daughter, fear twisting in her gut.

Severus landed in front of a tiny cottage, clutching the terrified child in his arms. A low fence wrapped around the property which was filled with flowers and hedges. The cottage itself, covered in ivy vines, sat at the center of the land. Very carefully he arranged the child on his hip and stepped through the gate. He was careful not to step on any of the toys that littered the yard. When he finally reached the door he tapped his knuckles sharply against the aged oak door.

It was only a few seconds later that the door flew open and this hermione was gathering her daughter in her arms and holding her close. Severus stood waiting patiently while mother and child reunited. He accepted graciously when he was invited in and sat at the table while Hermione placed her little girl in bed and watched over her as she drifted off.

"She will sleep for a while. Excitement like this makes her very tired." Hermione moved slowly around the kitchen gathering the various things she needed and making tea.

"I know," came the whispered response.

"How?" Hermione asked turning around. "How do you know so much about my child? Where did you even find her?" She had her arms crossed over her chest and stared him down. "Have you been spying on us?"

"Not at all. I am not the Severus Snape that you are familiar with, Hermione." He held up his left hand. "You see I am from a different time line. One in which you were unable to avoid me at the conference and I saw you, pregnant and beautiful and realized how much of a fool I was and how very much in love with you I am."

"Tell me everything."

And so he did. Severus Snape, from a different timeline, told this Hermione everything about their lives together and how MG had come into their care. Hermione had laughed at the nickname that her daughter had suggested and just shook her head. The two of them spent several hours talking and discussing the various differences in their lives since they weren't together.

"Hermione, I know this will be hard for you, and I know I don't deserve you, but please, go to Severus and tell him, let him meet her. I promise you he is doing not better without you than you are without him." Severus said as he stood. "I have to get back to my own timeline and to my wife and little girl. Tell MG that I said goodbye. Remember, Hermione, I love you. Give him a chance to show it."

Hermione smiled and nodded. "Thank you, for bringing her home."

With a nod, Severus walked back out into the garden and with a loud CRACK! was gone. He landed in his entry way, dizzy and slightly disoriented but otherwise fine. It didn't take long before his wife was in his arms sobbing and asking what had taken him so long. He hushed her running his fingers through her hair and holding her to him. Grateful to whatever deities were listening that he had found her that day. He slid down the door, taking her with him and letting his own tears fall into her hair. They were joined moments later by Mary who pushed her way between them and snuggled into both of her parents.

Hermione stood, staring up at the castle that she hadn't seen since Severus got released from St. Mungos, right after she had helped him move back to Hogwarts upon his release. The day that they had conceived Mary. The day before he had told her he didn't need her anymore and she had no reason to come around anymore. She was pulled from these thoughts by the voice of her daughter.

"Mommy, who's that lady?" Mary whisperd.

"Professor McGonagall. It is wonderful to see you again," the mother whispered as the Headmistress opened the gate and hugged her.

"It has been far too long, Hermione. Where have you been? And who is this young lady?" Minerva asked.

"This is my daughter, Mary. Mary, this is Professor McGonagall. She is your father's boss."

It was at this news that Minerva's eyes snapped to Hermione, then back to Mary. She took in the young girl's dark eyes, and her long, straight, black hair. "Severus?" she whispered, looking to the brunette for confirmation.

"Yes."

"Does he know?"

"No. That's why we are here. I will tell you everything but first, please, I need to see him." Minerva nodded and let the young woman and her daughter pass by her.

"It was nice to meet you, Professor!" Mary waved as they walked away.

The knock on his door startled the snarling potions master as he looked down at the stack of essays that he was attempting to grade.

"Enter!" He barked and heard the door open. What he wasn't expecting was to see the woman who had plagued his dreams and nightmares for almost seven years, a child in tow behind her.

"Hello, Severus. It is nice to see you again." She whispered. He could read the caution and fear in her face. She was afraid of him, and he hated himself for it.

"Is she...is she mine?" he whispered.

"Yes."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He looked at her and stood, making his way around the desk to kneel in front of the little girl, taking her hands in his and looking her over. "Hermione, why didn't you tell me you were pregnant. At the conference, I knew you were there, I looked for you, why-"

"You told me not to come back, that I didn't have a reason to come around anymore. I took that to mean that you didn't want to see me." Hermione said as she leaned against one of the desks in the room.

"I wanted to see you. Everyday I wished that you would walk through that door." Severus stood, keeping ahold of his child's hand. "I was giving you a way out, so that you wouldn't feel forced to spend time with me. I didn't want you saddled with an old Death Eater like me."

"I wanted you. I don't care about your past or your age, Severus. I never did. I only wanted you. The five months at St. Mungos, helping you, were the best of my life. I fell in love with you, and the day you sent me away shattered me, but please, even if you can't bring yourself to be with me, don't turn her away." Hermione whispered to him.

"What's her name?"

"My name is Mary and you are my Daddy, My other daddy, with the other Mommy and Mary said so." The young girl piped up, finally tired of being ignored.

The look on Severus's face was enough to make Hermione laugh. The potions professor stared at her in wonder. "I won't leave either of you," he declared before hauling her against him and pressing his lips against hers, kissing her within an inch of her life. They didn't pull away until the need for air became too much to ignore. "I love you, Hermione. I have always loved you."

"I love you too, Sev. Always."


End file.
